Leading independent experts have issued this strong warning after investigating latest scientific evidence linking alcohol-containing mouthwashes to the deadly disease.

Their review, published in the Dental Journal of Australia, concludes there is now “sufficient evidence” that “alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer”.

The ethanol in mouthwash is thought to allow cancer-causing substances to permeate the lining of the mouth more easily and cause harm.

Acetaldehyde, a toxic by-product of alcohol that may accumulate in the oral cavity when swished around the mouth, is also believed to be carcinogenic.

Listerine, the nation’s biggest-selling mouthwash and a brand endorsed by the Australian Dental Association (ADA), contains as much as 26 per cent alcohol.
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The review reported evidence from an international study of 3210 people which found daily mouthwash use was a “significant risk factor” for head and neck cancer, irrespective of whether users also drank alcohol or smoked. [...]Those who also drank alcohol had more than five times the risk – and even those who neither drank nor smoked still ran a four- to five-fold risk of contracting cancer. [...]A Brazilian study has also found regular mouthwash use is associated with oral cancer regardless of alcohol or tobacco consumption.